Secondary rack and method of making the same



July 20 1926. 1,592,840

B. M; SMALLEY SECONDARY RACK AND METHOD oF MAKING THE SAME Filed NOV, 5, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l "fig I l J aror? /VI Snail@ July 20 1926. I 1,592,840

B. M. SNLALLEYY SECONDARY RACK AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME "'1 d N 5 rl e Ov 1924 zsheets-sheet 9 Patented' July 20. 19216.. i

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BURTON I. BMALLEY, 'OF CHICAGQ. ILLINOIS., ASSIGNOB TO JOS-LYN MFG. d'. SUPPLY C0., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .A CORPORATION' OF ILLINOIS.

snooimnr nox un nnrnon or igaxme THE sama Appunti@ 'mi 'november 5; 1924. anni xq. 747,997.

My invention relates to line" hardware and more specifically to a secondary rack and method .of making the same.

Incidentally, my invention provides the I` solution of an interesting problem in joining a post `to a sheet which isV applicable for other uses than the particular `one to*A which I have .applied it.

In developing the-present rack, I was:

l confronted with the problem of providing` first a strongeand rigid sup ort upon which 1 d) strung through' wires could mountedan the mediumof insulators, andupon which a. considerable weight may be put.` It is common practice for line men to stand upon devices of this'class and such devices 4must therefore be inherently strong.v

The next desideratum is to make the rack smooth and .free from exposed sharp edgesk or corners. It is the practice in Stringing lines to draw-wires `across devices of this kind, and such practice requires the racks to be made so that 'the will not cause'injury itself. l Devices of this kind should be made in# expensive because of'thequantity required.

I propose to make a rack of this kind out ofA sheet metal, and to this end I have devised which are the subject of the present invention.

- Preferably, I form a longitudinal crease or. fold in a sheet of metal of the desired` erably substantially horizontal or IJarallel to the planeof the base. The web or top of the-'ridge is perforated with .round or elliptical apertures to receive the osts which are made of a cross sectional s ape` to the insulation of t e'wire or to the wire a construction and mode of manufacture" The crease or fold similar. to the opening through the Preferably I make the posts elliptical in vcross-section and the apertures of the same sh'ipe.-

he apertures in the crease or fold are preferably` elliptical with their major axis 1n line with the length of the ridge and preferably the side edge of each opening is substantially tangent with the inside surface of the vertical Walls of the rid The posts are then inserted `into't e holes with as nice'a fit as is convenient for rapid assembly. Then 'a rivet is passed through 65 the sirles of the crease orprotuberance and through the hollow post to draw these parts together. This rivet results ina drawing together of the sides of the crease and a pressure'of the same upon the sides of the 70 post with the result that there is a decrease in the length of the minor` axis of the hole without'any increase oi the length of the major axis. Inother words, the cirniuggv becomes smaller through the down folding of the sides. The same pressure which vcollapses the.hole tends to deform the post, and the resultant action is a shortening of the length of the minor axis lof the cro'ss section of the post, and at the Sametime, a tendency to increase tl 1e length of the major axis of the cross section of the post. These two tendencies which are lrought about bythe ressur ofthe rivet, result `in a complete llin of the oleiby the post through the mere rawing up or tensioning of tlle'rivet. After the post` is in place, it

is then supported at the edge of the hole and by the rivet in shear, and due to the excellent fit whichis obtained. a very solid and substantial structure results.

I am'aware that each of these tendencies alone operates to secure a firm fit; for example, the post may remain undisturbed and the mere collapsing of the hole about it is sufficient to secure the desired t, or` a deformation of the post without disturbing the sheet rmight be resorted to, to secure the desired lit at the edges of the major axis of the hole.

l Now, in order to acquaint Athose skilled in the art with the manner of constructing and operating a device according to myinvention, I shall describe in connection with Bussum the accompanying drawings a specific embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side `elevational view ot a device embodying my invention;

` Fig. 2 is plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view; and

, Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an isometric view of the base plate before forming and punching;l

Fig. 6 is a similar view of the same after it has been creased or formed; y

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary isometric view showing a section of the. base after it is formed and punched;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary Sectional view of the bottom part of the post, the same being adapted to lit into the aperture in the tbase;

Fig.` 9 is a diagrammatic plan view of the base; and

Fig. 10 isa diagrammatic plan view of the bottom part of the post.

In the' construction of a device. such as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, I form the rack of sheet metal, the essential .parts being a base 1, shown in Figs. 1 to 4, and one or more posts 2 secured to said base for supporting through insulators, such as shown at 3, one or more line wires indicated at 4. The insulators may be mounted as shown upon a common rod 5 passin-g thro-ugh the loops or eyes 6 `formed in the upper ends of the posts 2, or the individual posts may bear separate insulators if so desired. This phase of the invention is optional and I have illustrated merely the preferred form in which my invention may appear. The rack is generally mounted in vertical position, and the rod 5 is therefore provided with a head 7 and held in place by a cotter pin `8, the insulator 3 being strun'g betweenthe posts 2,l as shown in Fig. 1.

I construct the base member out of a rectangular sheet of metal, such as shown at 9 in Fig. 5. This sheet may be separately formed or may be formadas part of a continuous sheet(into the base member..10, shown in Fig. 6, which consists of base lianges 11 and a central crease or inverted channel having the substantially vertical side walls 12 and a top wall or web 13 between said side walls 12. The sheet 9 may be creased or grooved, as shown in Fig. 6, either by stamping, rolling or like metal working operation, whichis not of the essence of the present invention. I have secured excellent results by rolling the sheet into the desired channel form. The base kilanges 11 are fiat and lie in substantially the openings 14 in the top of the ridge in the wall 15, next, the riv'et holes 14 in the side walls 12, and also, the slots 16 in the. base flanges 11. .The slots 16 are adapted to receivebolts, such as are indicated at 17 in Fig. 3, and, if desired, additional holes 4may' be formed as indicated at 18 in Fig. 2,

in the top wall 13 of the ridge.

The posts 2 are formed of sheet metal strips shaped into channel form and then folded together to form the eyes 6, the end walls or legs 19 of the channels being cut away at the eye 6 in order to reduce the diameter of the outside of the eye and to make manufacture simpler. The lower parts of the posts arepunched to provide holes 20, as shown in Fig. 8.

It will be observed that the'. post is thereby made hollow, and that the shape of the post is substantially the same shape as the hole 14 into which it fits, and also that the hole and post are generally elliptical in outline. tical in outline,-they mightV be truly circu lar 'or-approximately circular, but since the device is preferably mounted in a vertical direction, the maximum moment of inertia of the post should be in a vertical direction, that is, in the direction of a length of the ridge to sustain the weight of a lineman stepping upon the same.

The posts 2 are introduced into the openings 14 as snug a fit being provided as is permissible for rapid and convenient assembly; rivets 21 are then inserted into the holes 15 and 20, and the rivets are then drawn tight. This action of drawing the rivets tight secures a novel action which is It is not essential that they be ellipllUv rivet heads is placed upon the side walls 12 `of the crease or fold, and this tends to arch up the top wall 13 to a slightly greater extent. In so doing, the sides 12 approach each other with the result that the crossvwise or minor axis dimension of the aperture 14 is decreased without any change. in the longitudinal dimension or major axis of the opening 14. This action is illustrated in Fig. 9 where the dotted lines indicate what happens when pressure is brought upon the side walls 12,-12, as' indicated byl the arrows P.

Now, as soon as the side walls bring pressure upon the flat sides of the posts 2 adjacent the rivet holes 20 this inward pressure, as indicated by the arrows P in Fig.

i 10, tend to collapse the sides of theposts upon the side walls of the post under the tension of the rivet 21. Thus, the simple tensioning of the rivet'21 secures the highly advantageous and complex action above described. .The -rivet 21 isl placed in shear y when any weight is put upon the same, and

because of the nice fit andthe internal bracing which 1s secured, the device 1s very strongjor its weight. It will be apparent l that the device is inexpensive to manufacture and highly efficient in action; While I have described a hollow post, I do not intend to limit the invention to a hollow post, although, for the sake of lightness in weight and' cheapness in manufacture, and also for the ease of se'curing the desired collapsing action, a hollow post is desirable.

I do not intend to be limited to the details shown or described, as there may be wide variation in the form, shape and materials embodying the invention. The principle which I have disclosed and the structure which it'secures are, I believe, fundamentally new, and I intend to claim the same broadly.,

I claim:` f

1. In a device of the class described, a base having an upper longitudinal wall and lower extending fianges in a plane substantially parallel to said upper longitudinal wall and having two substantially parallel longitudinal wallsjoining the edges of the upper wall with the innerledges of the lower flanges, and lying at substantially right angles to said Hanges,' said u per wall having a hole therethrough of su stantially the full width of said upper wall, ahollow post lying infsaid hole and means for drawing said substantially parallel walls together upon the post to 'cause the postto expand in a direction generally at right angles thereto to cause the post' to engage firmly with the edges of the hole in a direction longitudinal of the upper wall.

2. In a device of' the class described, a base member having a longitudinal `fold therein forming a channel, a hole formed in the web of the" channel of substantially the full width ofl said web, a hollowl post set into said hole, and means for drawing the sides of the channel against each other to expand the postinto engagement with the edges of the hole. a

ing, simultaneously' p sponding diameter of thevpost, and simul- 3. The method of fastening a hollow post` into a metal sheet which comprises folding the sheet longitudinally to form a gutter of the internal width of the post, forming an opening in the 'bottom of the gutter to receive the post and' then compressing the sides of the gutter .upon the sides` of the post thereby decreasinnr the width of the opendecreasing the corretaneously increasing the diameter ofthe post in a direction at right angles thereto.

4. The method of fastening a post to a base member which comprises bending the base member into the form of a longitudinal fold, cutting a hole through the bottom of the fold of substantially the full width thereof and of the size of the post, collapsing the sides of the fold upon the sides of the post to expand the post into contact with thev edges of the hole.

5. Thel method of mounting a hollow post I inl a` transverse hollow base, which comprises cutting a hole in the hollow base of substantially the full width of the interior of the hollow base and collapsing the sides of the hollow base upon the hollow post to bring the sides of the post into engagement with the edges of the hole by transverse expansion. i

6. In a device of the class described, a sheet metal plate having an inverted longitudinal gutter, the side walls of said gutter being substantially parallel, an oblong hole through theweb of the gutter, the hole having substantially the salme width as the web of the gutter, a hollow sheet metal post of oblong cross section formed of two lcooperating halves or gutter sections and fitting into said hole in the web of the gutter, the

webs of the gutter sectionsof which said post 'is constructed-lying fiat against the side walls of the gutter of the plate and a rivet passing through the side walls of the plate and a rivet passing through the side walls-of the main gutter and through said webs of the gutter sections and collapsing' said parts to the point of bringing the edge of the gutter'sections into firm engagement with the adjacent edges of the hole.

7. \[n a device of the class described, a

base comprising a pair of substantially parallel longitudinal walls with a joining wall between them, said joining wall having a hole therethrough of substantially the full width of the `joining wall. a hollow tubular postl of oblong cross section and rounded corners fitting into said hole and having its longer sides substantially in contact. with the .inner surfaces of the parallel walls and a rivet passing through the parallel walls and through the side walls of the post and drawing the parts firmly together.

8. In combination a base memberfhaving substantially parallel side walls and a web 9. Ina device of ther class described, `a,

sheet metal base having a longitudinal chan.- nel creased therein, holes in the web of 'the channel, hollow tubular posts fitting the holes, rivets through the sidesof the channel and through the posts holding the parts firmly in engagement against movement in all directions and a pin passing through the ends of the posts. Y

10. In combination, a sheet having a crease therein forming an inverted channel, a post projecting through the web of the 4crease and being tangent to the inner side of the side walls of the crease, and a-tension element extending through the side walls of the'fcrease and the sidewalls of the post.

11. In combination, a sheet having an integral lateral fold, and having a hole in the top wall of the fold, a post set in said hole and lying tangent to the inner side walls of the fold, and means for holding 430 lthe edges of said top Wall.

13. The method of fitting a hollow post into a hole in a sheet which comprises pressingthe margins of the sheet at opposite sides of the hole into engagement with the sides of the post to decreasethe diameter of .the post in the line of pressure and to increase the diameterof the-post at right angles to said line of pressure.

14. The method of fitting a post into a hole in a sheet which comprises folding the y sheet on parallel lines tangent'to a diameter of the hole against the'sides of the post, then pressing said folded parts of the sheet against the sides o f the post to compress the post in the line of pressure and to expand it in a direction at substantially right angles '1 to said line of pressure. I

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 3rd day of November, 1924. v

y BURTON M. SMALLEY. 

